My invention relates generally to the field of insulated storage containers for protecting contents from damage from fire. More specifically, it relates to the design and construction of escutcheons for use in covering the funnels in a double-walled fire-resistant safe filled with insulating material.
Fire-resistant storage containers, also referred to as fire-resistant safes, are generally constructed with internal and external shells that encapsulate spaces filled with insulation material. The internal shells form inner surfaces of each safe lid/door or body, and the external shells form outer surfaces of each safe lid/door or body. Together, the internal and external shells form a shuttering for molding the insulating material in place within the shells. The insulating material is generally made of a concrete mixture that solidifies in the mold but retains a large amount of water within the solidified mass of material.
Each of the double-walled shells of resin material is molded with a pair of funnels that are used to help fill the shells with the insulation material. One of the funnels in each of the double-walled shells (the larger of the two) guides insulation material into the shell. The other funnel allows air to escape from the shell while the shell is being filled. Air gaps between the insulation material and the resin shells are prevented by overfilling the shells so that the insulating material rises a considerable height (i.e., two centimeters or more) within each funnel.
Escutcheons can be mounted over the funnels immediately after the shells are filled. The escutcheons are made with stakes having xe2x80x9cmushroomedxe2x80x9d or other shaped ends or mechanical attachments (such as speed nuts, lock washers, and push nuts) which are inserted through the funnels and embedded in the insulation material before the insulation material has hardened in place. The stakes extend only part way through the insulation material and do not penetrate the internal shell. The escutcheons are also formed with a surrounding rim that is generally perpendicular to, and is intended to firmly abut, the face (or a raised portion of the face) of the safe lid/door or body to which the escutcheon is attached.
The escutcheon rims surround the funnels to provide a more complete vapor barrier against evaporation of water from the insulation material through the funnels. This permits the insulation material to be cured more quickly by reducing evaporative cooling and containing exothermic heat. In addition, opposite sides of the funnel have previously been designed so as to provide a xe2x80x9csnap-fitxe2x80x9d or similar interference engagement with mating xe2x80x9cvxe2x80x9d shaped detents along the outermost edge of the escutcheon rims. This, however, has not proved satisfactory in practice as there is often some shrinkage of the plastic making up the escutcheons after they are set in place in the insulating material. Since the escutcheons are anchored in the insulating material by the stakes previously described, shrinkage of the plastic making up the escutcheons can undo the snap-fit between the xe2x80x9cvxe2x80x9d shaped detents along the edges of the escutcheon rims and their respective funnels. This creates an undesirable and unattractive gap between the escutcheon rim and the face of the safe door/lid or body to which it is attached. This, in turn, often leads to the scrapping of the product with consequent expenses, loss of time, loss of material, and loss of revenues.
My invention improves the design and construction of funnels and escutcheons by preventing gaps from opening between the escutcheon rims and the remainder of the safe body due to the shrinking of the plastic materials forming the escutcheon. To achieve this, I make an interlock between escutcheon and funnels that cannot separate, even if the plastic shrinks. Once the escutcheon is anchored in the concrete used as insulating material, its rim is held in position by virtue of a permanent unbreakable interlock that will not allow a gap to open between the edges of the escutcheon rim and the face of the safe door or lid. This interlock is created by forming the escutcheon rim edges with projections (xe2x80x9clocking membersxe2x80x9d) that fit under overhangs (xe2x80x9clocking groovesxe2x80x9d) formed in the funnels. Because of the shape of the locking grooves and locking members, these parts cannot be snapped together. Instead, the escutcheon is offset by a slight amount, allowing the locking members to slide down into openings that provide access to the locking grooves in the funnel as the escutcheon (with its stakes) is inserted into position. The escutcheon, with its stakes and projections, is then moved laterally (which is possible only because the concrete insulating material is still soft), sliding the locking members into the locking grooves provided. Once the escutcheon stakes are set in the concrete insulating material, such lateral movement becomes impossible. The escutcheon rim edges will maintain a firm interlocked grip with the funnels, retaining the edges in their desired position abutting the face of the safe lid/door or the safe body to which the escutcheon is attached.